Car-fender



(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. O. P. STIMPSON.

UAR FENDER.

Patentgd Apr. 2, 1895.

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(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

c. P. STIMP S-ON GAR FENDER.

NO. 536,708. Patented Apr. 2, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 -SheetsSheet 3. O. P. STIMPSON.

' v GAR FENDER. No. 536,708. Patent-ed Apr. 2, 1895.

' 22 Mam w/hfm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES P. STIMPSON, OF TROY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PHEBE R. GUNNISON,OF LANSINGBURG, NEW YORK.

CAR-FEN DER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,708, dated April 2,1895. Application filed November 7, 1894.. Serial No. 528,136. (Nomode.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. STIMPSON, of the city of Troy, county ofRenssclaer, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Car Guards or Fenders, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of devices which are placed at theends of motor and othercars to protect persons falling in front of, orwhen struckby the cars from being run over and injured by the latter.

The object and purpose of my invention is to better adapt this class ofdevices to the uses for which they are designed, and to have themoperate automatically, or to be actuated by the motor man. 7

This apparatus consists essentially of a main frame preferably made fromgas-pipe,

which at its inner rear end is hinged to the car truck on whichconnection it can be swung up and down, and be moved rearwardly, and atits front end provided with a screen, with the main frame adapted to beraised from the track and held as raised until tripped by the motor manor by coming in contact with the body of a person upon the track.

Accompanying this specification to form a part of it there are threeplates of drawings containing five figures illustrating my invention,with the same designation of parts by letter reference used in all ofthem.

Of the illustrations, Figure l is a top view of the apparatus and itsinner-end connection with the car truck. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe apparatus and its attachment to the car, with the outer end of theapparatus shown as raised, and held by means of the keeperhook andfinger-form holder. Fig. 3 is another side elevation of' the apparatuswith the latter shown as tripped from the keeper-hook and finger-formholder, and with its outer end down, and as resting on the track. Fig. 4is a section taken on the line m, w, of Fig. 1. Fig.

'5 is a side elevation of the keeper-hook and finger-form holder, shownas detached.

The several parts of the apparatus th us illustrated are designated byletter reference and the function of the parts is described as follows:v

The letter S designates a wire screen formed in a frame F, which atitssides connects with the sides of the main-frame F and G, G, designateguards of which there is one extended laterally from each of the sidesof the mainframe F This main-frame at its upper ends is provided withjournals J, J, each of which latter having a slotted bearing 19', inwhich it may slide forwardly or rearwardly as Well as to turn therein.

The letter B designates a cross-bar or brace connecting the sides S ofthe main frame, for stilfening the latter.

The letters U, U, designate U-form plates, of which there is one at eachside of the car, the outer side of each of these plat-es being at of,attached to the track side, and the inner arm u of each of which platesis carried downwardly on an 'angle as extended rearwardly, and'there isformed in each of these arms, so constructed, the before named slottedbearings b.

The letters L, L, designate links of which there is one at each side ofthe car, each of which links at its upper end connects to the car bottomV by means of a staple Z and at its lower end journals onto the bar BThe letter M designates an additional screen which is placed inthe rearof and back of the screen S. The sides m of this screen, journal attheir upper ends on the bar B outside of the links L, and at their lowerends with the bar 13*, and this additional screen is to prevent thepassage of a body falling on the screen: S, from passing rearwardly fromofi the latter; the screen M, when the frame descends presenting aninclined surface N, extending downwardly to the screen S.

The letter T designates the tripping bar, which is placed in advance ofthe screen frame F; and the letters R, R, designate two rods, which attheir front ends connect with the tripping bar T, and therefrom they areeach extended rearwardly to pass through one of the tube-form sides S Sof the screen frame F.

The letter D designates a cross-bar with which each of the rods Rconnects at the inner ends of the latter, and as shown at Fig. 1.

The letters H designate a finger-bar which at'its upper end is at hconnected to the under-side of the car platform, and from which it has adepending end h made with the fingers f, f, between which there isformed the slot h, which is open at the bottom, and therefrom extendedupwardly. As thus made, when the mainframe F and screen S, are raised tobe in the position shown at Fig. l, the cross-bar 13*, will enter theslot 71".

The letter K designates a keeper hook, which at its upper end is pivotedat 19 to the finger bar H, so as to be at one side of the latter, andthis hook is made with a tripping lever arm a from which there runs achain 0, which at its upper end is secured to the front of thedashboard, where it is within reach of the motor man. The lower end ofthis hook is made with fingers f ,f and an intermediate slot k adaptedto receive the bar D, which is by means of the rods R, connected withthe tripping-bar T. e

The letter designates the hook proper, which is formed on the outer sideof one of the fingers f and where it can under-run so as to engage with,and hold up the bar B when within the slot 71.5, of the finger-bar H.

The letters (1 designate springs which at one of their ends connect withthe bar D, and at their other end each of them connects with the innerside of the screen frame; and the function of these springs is to keepthe tripping bar extended forwardly beyond the screen, and when movedrearwardly, to be so moved against the force of these springs.

The letters 8 ,8 designate spiral springs, of which there is one at eachside of the frame. Each of these springs connects at c with one of thesides S of the main frame, and at its other end with the brake beam A.As thus constructed, when emergency does not require the descent of themain frame and screen, they are raised, with the bar 13 within the slotk of the finger-bar H, and the bar D, within the slot k with thehook-proper under-running the bar B thus holding the parts as raised;but when the tripping-bar T, comes in contact with an object, it bymeans of its connection with the bar D, movesthe latter rearwardly, andalso the hook proper, to release its hold on the bar B allowing theframe to fall at the front, and to run back on its journals J, with itsouter front end upon the ground, adapted to under-run and transfor tothe screen the body of a person who has fallen, and when operated by themotorman, by pulling on the chain 0, the same effect is produced.

With the parts thus constructed and arranged when the main frame istripped either by its tripping bar T, and its coming in contact with thebody of a person upon the track, or by the motor-man operating the chainU, the main frame is rapidly drawn rearwardly by the action of thesprings S S with its journals J, J, sliding in the slotted bearings,thus operating by direction of movement oppositely to that in which thecar is moving, and thus giving time for the outer end of the frame toreach the track beforen'nder-running, so as to pick up, and transfer tothe screen an object upon the track. This feature of construction andarrangement constitutes an important feature of difference between myapparatus and older devices used for like purposes. In these olderdevices, the body of a person having fallen upon, or tripped up on thetrack, receives the full force of the car momentum, and often the fallenbody takes such a position that the frame or screen will over-runinstead of under-run the object upon the track. By the use of myimprovement the drawing back of the frame and screen admits of the verypositive descent of the screen to the .track, and makes the action ofthe apparatus reliable.

While I have shown slotted bearings as employed to admit of the rearwardmotion of the frame when operated to descend, I do not limit myinventionto the precise means which I illustrate and describe to accomplish thisfunction, but do limit myself to the use of such a meansas will performin like manner the same function.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is- I 1. In a car-guard or fender the combinationwith a frame provided with a screen at its front end, and havingjournals upon its rear end; of horizontally slotted bearings forsaidjournals wherein the frame may swing up at its front end to belatched; and springs whereby said frame and screen may be drawnrearwardly when unlatched and to descend at the front, substantially inthe manner as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a car-guard or fender the combination with a frame provided with ascreen at its front end, and having journals upon its rear end-ofhorizontally slotted bearings for said journals, wherein the frame mayswing up at its front end to be latched; springs whereby said frame maybe drawn rearwardly when unlatched, and to descend at the front; and atripping-bar mounted on slides in said frame and arranged in advance ofits front end, whereby when coming in contact with an object saidtripping-bar will move rearwardly to unlatch the frame substantially inthe manner as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a car-guard having a frame which is provided with a screen at itsfront end, and at its rear end with journals on which its front end maybe raised or depressed; of a finger-form holder pendent from the carbottom, which holder is slotted upwardly from its lower end, and adaptedto receive a cross-bar of the frame when the latter is raised; a

and a tripping bar arranged in advance of the screen, and connected withthe holder-bar by means of rods passing through the screenframe sides toconnect with the holder-bar, whereby as said tripping bar comes incontact with an object, the holder-bar will be moved rearwardly to tripthe keeper-hook and allow the frame to descend on the track,substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of the frame F made with the screen S, cross-bars Band B and journals J, J, of the slotted bearings b, b, attached to thecar truck; the springsS S connected with said frame and the brake beams;the finger-form holder H, having the slot h"; the keeper hook K, pivotedat 10 having the lever arm a operating chain 0, slot 70 and hook properI0 and the tripping-bar T, having rods R, R, passing through the sidesof the screen frame and the bar D, conmeeting with the inner end of therods R, constructed and arranged to be operated substantially in themanner as and for the purposes set forth. 7

Signed at Troy, New York, this 5th day of November, 1894,'and in thepresence of the two witnesses whose names are hereto written. 2 5

CHAS. P. STIMPSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES S. BRINTNALL, W. E. HOGAN.

